On July 1, Clark Volunteer Fire Department Chief Nate Hoffert posted a message on Facebook stating, “I think it’s time to address a growing cancer of lies and misinformation that has been spread throughout our community for some time now.

“We are aware that there are people saying that we are misappropriating tax dollars and receiving personal kickbacks from the dozers and equipment that you see stationed at the Clark Fire Hall, so let me make something very clear to the community we serve.” He wrote in capital letters: “Not one dollar of tax revenue has ever gone to the dozer program and not one volunteer firefighter, medic or board member has received a dollar of tax money for their service!”

In order to gain additional information about the department’s operations, especially a program involving bulldozers, semitrucks and trailers and other equipment to fight wildfires, a handful of Clark residents attended a budget hearing on Thursday night, July 9 in the fire hall. The four attendees felt after the 90-minute session that what some Clarkites criticized were clarified by Hoffert’s July 1 posting to explain his position.

“Our fire district (PCFD4) is the poorest in the county due to the low population and lack of industry,” he wrote. “We have had to try to survive on between $45k and $55k annually in tax revenue. For every $1,000 a Clark resident pays in taxes, PCFD4 receives around $70, 7% of your property tax bill. We have been trying to operate on about 5% of the budgets that  each of the other three fire districts in Park County operate on and we are the only district in Park County that operates a medical first response team of EMTs because we have always believed that the Clark community cannot wait 30 minutes for an ambulance from town when lives are at stake.”

He also noted the age of the department’s equipment, much of it no longer considered safe.

“With our aging equipment, the costs of everything going up, and the continued push by groups to cut what little tax revenue we were receiving, we were/are facing the reality that we may have to cut services or close the department altogether,” he wrote. “Instead, we decided to try something that other departments across Wyoming and the U.S. have done to help supplement budget shortfalls and help update their outdated equipment, while building an inventory of wildland firefighting equipment that can be called on to help fight fires across the country.”

So, he said when department mechanic Patrick Calkin proposed an agreement where he would operate his separate wildland firefighting operation out of the fire hall, the district was all ears.

“After talking to the state and federal oversight and some other departments that operate these types of cooperator agreements, the board decided to give it a shot,” Hoffert wrote. “But in order for PCFD4 to receive any of the proceeds from the fire suppression equipment, they have to go out as Clark Fire and payroll for the operators has to pass through our budget.”

He further explained the process in his post.

“The federal fires (agencies) have to write the checks to our district and then our district has to pay for the lease of the equipment (since it is all owned privately by Fire Truck Certification Company LLC) and payroll for the operators out of those checks (not out of tax revenue),” he said. “This is the way the state requires us to operate with the cooperator and it makes it appear that we have a $2 million budget, when in reality, the district gets to keep about 8% of the fire suppression revenue, which is used to pay for accounting, legal fees, additional insurance and to start helping update our outdated equipment that we need to continue to serve our great Clark community.”

Hoffert said the dozer group pays for additional utilities they use at the station and pay rent when they need to occupy a bay in the fire station for maintenance or repairs.

The chief said during the budget hearing that Calkin carries his own insurance and that Clark Fire has a supplemental policy. It was noted that Calkin is a veteran, highly certified firefighter and is an asset to the community.

“The PCFD4 board members and volunteers have been very careful to make sure that no tax money goes towards the dozer program and that it is only being operated as a cooperative agreement with the sole purpose of finding ways to continue to operate our volunteer fire department, with ever-increasing budget cuts,” he wrote.

At the July 9 session, the district was represented by directors Paul Burling, Larry Denney and Jim Siemons. The latter, not a board member, was filling in for Director Dave Hoffert, the chief’s father, who is in a hospital in Billings following cancer surgery (per his son, Nate, at the time). Also from the department besides Nate Hoffert and Louis Siemons, was Fire Captain Louis Siemons. Calkin, who lives in a trailer next to the fire station for the convenience of his work for the fire department and elsewhere, was not present, as he and his equipment were in Colorado at a wildfire.

The contract with Calkin, who it was indicated set the terms, is for one year and the board just renewed it for the third time. Attendee Joey Copper asked about bids for the pact and was told that because it is a cooperator agreement, it is not subject to bids. He commented, “It sounds like a good deal for you guys, but a very good deal for Patrick. I don’t know Patrick at all, but if I’m understanding, he can’t get these jobs without you.”

Hoffert agreed that is the case and noted that without the agreement and the income from it, there would be “a bleak outlook for the existence of the fire department.”

In his Facebok post, Hoffert also spoke to those on both sides of the contentious issue that has even made appearances at Park County commissioners meeting.

“I am so proud of our volunteers and the incredible personal sacrifices that they make each day for this community,” he wrote to conclude his post. “To those who have always been so supportive to our department, thank you again so much for your support, and we are honored to serve such a great community.

“To those that are hell bent on trying to tear us down and destroy what we have worked so hard to build and maintain; we have been, and will still be there, at 2 a.m. in your darkest hour, ready to risk our lives to help you.”

Budget

Meeting attendees were walked through the 2026-27 fiscal year budget by Jim Siemons and Burling with occasional comments by the chief.

The seven-page budget document was covered, almost line by line. All questions about costs and expenditures were answered. After the hearing the $2,134,350 total budget was approved and adopted by the board. During discussion about figures provided and unfounded concerns overall, the board said that an audit will be conducted as per normal operations.

The chief and the board noted several times that the department follows all appropriate fire district and federal and state statutes covering its operations and finances.

In response to a query, it was stated that department records are now being kept at the office of McCarty, Reed & Earhart, Attorneys at Law LLC in Cody. Burling said that the state required it. Since the meeting it was found that while the records are held at the attorney’s office, Clark Fire is custodian of the records.

All records held at the attorney’s office, minus very limited items that may be attorney-client privilege or proprietary, are available to the public by request.

Requests should go through Clark Fire with a cc to the attorney’s office.

(Millie Copper contributed reporting)